10/15/2012
Topic:
Fish Creek Wash Rd Conditions
Clifford
|
Old post I know- but the folks who were airlifted out were a little more than mired in mud- pretty incredible. Flash floods are no joke- I really had no idea they could be this powerful. I have been to this area many times.
"Recent heavy rains in Fish Creek shows what happens when you don’t listen to the weather forecasts. Flash floods were predicted yet a father and son drove to Wind Caves to hike in the morning. Their truck was washed 1.75 miles down Split Mountain and the father and son were helicoptered out. Luckily 911 works without any bars showing on a phone."
http://www.desertusa.com/mb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2812
Regards,
Clifford |
10/24/2012
Topic:
Fish Creek Wash Rd Conditions
Clifford
|
I think it best to be prepared and cautious. I could suggest walking ahead when in doubt and have ample carpet/traction ramps with you and of course a good shovel and gloves. We got stuck back in '96 heading up Rockhouse Canyon in a== plain Ford van== on my birthday and some great folks from MI happened to be there and helped us dig out and build a stone road under one wheel (stuck in sand up to axle tring to turn around, my last words to the driver were "I don't think you should do it...", this was almost 15 years before I owned my first 4x4)
Took us hours but gotta say it was very memorable as I am sure your experience was!
Thing is even if someone says all is well you still might find conditions different or get stuck anyway once you are out there.
Thats a damn shame about the graffitti!
I did my first volunteer trip w Sierra Club south of Lake Isabella last month and will prob do a DV volunteer trip in 2 weeks, you could find out how to volunteer to take care of that area that we love so much. It is a good feeling!
C
DesertZenGlen wrote:
My wife and I foolishly decided to head out to Sandstone Canyon via Fish Creek in my Toyota Tacoma 2x in late September. The silt at the bottom of the canyon was so bad, we got stuck in about a minute and a half. |
11/11/2012
Topic:
Fish Creek Wash Rd Conditions
Clifford
|
Borregolinda wrote:
We're going camping at Fish Creek Tuesday, I know, we live here in Borrego but still like to camp in the Park! But plan to driving up to Sandstone and into so will report back when we return at end of week.
thanks!, please report weather too. |
1/20/2013
Topic:
Rockhouse Canyon 4 Day Backpack TR
Clifford
|
Great post, thanks for sharing! You are lucky to have a knowledgeable companion to go with. I have been car camping a lot since I got my 4x4 a few years ago but did one night in RH back in June and man I have been looking forward to getting out on foot and pack ever since. I used to camp in AB back in the mid nineties before I had my truck- I got a Datsun 280ZX way up Coyote canyon one year and stayed a couple nights in Sheep Canyon. There was a lovely spring and pool near there. https://plus.google.com/photos/105266388149148864163/albums/5758276332908868161 |
1/20/2013
Topic:
Rockhouse Canyon 4 Day Backpack TR
Clifford
|
Ya if you look close you can see it is an add on. Pretty quirky!
Also, you referred to your friend as a sheep counter, is that just a nickname or does he actually caount sheep for the park service or something?
C
edited by Clifford on 1/20/2013 |
1/25/2016
Topic:
Anza Borrego Site Redo
Clifford
|
Great job! I did my website with WP and a theme recently too. I like the Travelify theme you used- free or paid? I used Enfold and was paid but support is great.
cliffordnovey.com
Thanks again-
Clifford
Bob Baran wrote:
Trying to slowly upgrade the main site and move it over to WordPress. A lot more support than the Blog software I am using now.
Let me know what you think?
http://www.anzaborrego.net/wordpress/
Thanks,
Bob |
2/13/2016
Topic:
President Obama designated three desert areas...
Clifford
|
President Obama has designated three desert areas in California as national monuments.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/12/466583045/photos-obama-declares-3-new-national-monuments-in-california-desert
The move permanently protects "nearly 1.8 million acres of America's public lands," the White House says in a news release.
All three areas lie east of Los Angeles. Two of the new monuments — Castle Mountains and Mojave Trails — are near California's border with Nevada.
And crucially, "the new monuments will link already protected lands, including Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave National Preserve, and fifteen congressionally-designated Wilderness areas, permanently protecting key wildlife corridors and providing plants and animals with the space and elevation range that they will need in order to adapt to the impacts of climate change," the release says.
The Los Angeles Times explains how this designation was reached:
"The designation was requested by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who for a decade has sought to protect land that wasn't included in the 1994 California Desert Protection Act. That measure covered nearly 7.6 million acres, elevated Death Valley and Joshua Tree to national park status and created the Mojave National Preserve.
"Unable to gain momentum on her California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act last year, Feinstein and conservation groups asked Obama to act unilaterally to create the three monuments overlapping biological zones between roughly Palm Springs and the Nevada border."
The White House says Obama has now protected more than 265 million acres of land and water. That's more than any other U.S. administration.
And now, meet the three newest national monuments:
1. Mojave Trails National Monument
The Mojave Trails National Monument is the largest new monument, at 1.6 million acres.
At 1.6 million acres, Mojave Trails is by far the largest of the three new monuments and includes "a stunning mosaic of rugged mountain ranges, ancient lava flows, and spectacular sand dunes," the White House says.
The White House proclamation describes it as a "landscape defined by scarcity and shaped by travel." Here's more:
"With historic American trading routes, trails followed by Spanish explorers, a transcontinental rail line, and the Nation's most famous highway [Route 66], the Mojave Trails area tells the American story of exploration, migration and commerce."
The rugged area features a striking series of sand dunes, rare plant species and endangered birds.
2. Sand To Snow National Monument
Sand to Snow National Monument boasts the tallest mountain in Southern California, according to the White House proclamation. The 11,500-foot San Gorgonio Mountain rises from the Sonoran Desert floor.
The new national monument, which spans 154,000 acres, is diverse terrain: It includes a range from "lowland deserts, fresh water marshes, and Mojave riparian forests, to creosote bush scrub ecosystems, and alpine peaks," the White House says.
An estimated 1,700 Native American petroglyphs (carved art on rock faces) will be protected as a result of the new designation.
Sand to Snow National Monument is also home to more than 240 species of bird.
3. Castle Mountains National Monument
Castle Mountains National Monument connects two important mountain ranges.
Castle Mountains National Monument is the smallest of the three, at 20,920 acres. Its wildlife inhabitants include golden eagles, bighorn sheep, mountain lions and bobcats.
And the newly designated area "provides a critical linkage for plants, animals, and water between two mountain ranges within the Preserve, the New York Mountains to the northwest and the Piute Mountains to the southeast," the White House says.
This linkage will contribute to the survival of a herd of desert bighorn sheep, according to the White House.
Also in the protected area is the ghost town of Hart, which has been abandoned since 1920.
MAP:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/284832834/PNM-CA-Desert-SoCal-20151002
edited by Clifford on 2/13/2016
edited by Clifford on 2/13/2016 |